Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Goodbye to Carolyn Bye

This week the Twin Cities had a chance to say goodbye to the legendary Carolyn Bye after 14 years as the head of the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council. An amazing intelligence and spirt, Carolyn was an invaluable advocate and ally in building the arts community in the seven county metro area, and as artists in Minnesota we owe her immensely for helping to foster such a positive environment for our work.

The community gathered at the Red Eye Theatre on 15 West 14th Street in Minneapolis and naturally there were many stirring performances, including a guitar and flute duet by Don Eitel and Suzie Kunyoshi, a magnificent collaborative performance of Sonja Parks' "De will bend, don't break" read by Laurie Carlos and interpreted by dancer Roxane Wallace. Noah Bremer shared an exuberant piece entitled 'A man, a plant, a quest for joy,' and we heard from many exceptional leaders in the non-profit and arts community who were able to express the immense influence and joy Carolyn has brought to Minnesota in her time here.

So long, Carolyn, and thanks for everything!

And while we're at it, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council provides great support to artists and projects in Minnesota and they're a great resource worth checking out: www.mrac.org

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